Architects: Hariri & Hariri Architecture
Project: Lavasan Villa
Location: Lavasan, Iran
Photography: Moein Hosseini
Lavasan Villa by Hariri & Hariri Architecture is located on a steep hilly property in the town of Lavasan, 30 minutes from Central Tehran, Iran. The site at its higher elevations offers magnificent views of Jajrood Basin and the majestic Alborz mountain range.
One arrives to the site at the bottom of a steep hillside. A 30’ stone retaining wall of the next-door neighboring villa marks the west side of the property. On top of the Hill, above the property, are a series of postmodern and traditional McMansions lined-up shamelessly in a row next to one another competing in volume, visibility and multitude of finishes.
The challenge of this project was to create a simple villa embedded in the topography that met the owners desire for privacy (Islamic tradition of not being seen by public in the private quarters,) while taking advantage of the surrounding views (seeing & enjoying the distant natural elements & views.)
The program was to create a main villa including: a master bedroom suite, two children’s bedrooms, a family/TV hall, terraces, living, dining, kitchen, playroom, large outdoor/indoor space & a swimming pool. In addition to the main villa, an independent guesthouse was designed including: one bedroom, living/dining area, and a kitchenette. Also included on the west side of the property is a caretaker’s quarter over a two car garage, an elevator as well as an open staircase connecting all levels of the house. The east side of the property is mainly an open grassy garden with a small tea pavilion below which are additions parking spaces for guests at the street level and connected to the west side via an open bridge way across the open stairway.
Conceptually the volume of the guesthouse & the caretaker’s is carved into the hillside, creating a three-story base or a podium for the main villa and contextually it continues the next-door neighbor’s 30’ base wall. Above this podium then sits the 2 story main villa in an L shape form with private indoor/ outdoor terrace/ roof garden and a swimming pool reminiscent of the Persian “Iwans” in traditional garden pavilions, surrounded by natural elements and magical places to relax and reflect.
